Workers at a Goodyear Tire factory in the EasternCape became the latest to down tools on Tuesday, going on alegal strike to protest against a change in company policytoward allowances for breaks, a union said.

Gold Fields is one of several companies to throw down anultimatum to striking miners, a tactic which appears to haveworked in some cases, though not as yet at KDC East.

"So far we have no turnout at KDC East but the finaldeadline is this afternoon," company spokesman Sven Lunschesaid.

The company would provide another update at 4:00 p.m. localtime (1400 GMT), he added. About 8,500 workers at KDC East wereissued an ultimatum to start returning to work with the nightshift on Monday and the morning and afternoon shifts on Tuesday.

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd, the world's No.3 goldproducer, told striking South African miners on Monday to returnto work by Wednesday or face dismissal.

About 100,000 workers have downed tools for better pay sinceAugust. The strikes have sparked credit downgrades of Africa'stop economy and raised questions about the relatively slowresponse of President Jacob Zuma's government.

A government-appointed commission is hearing testimonies aspart of an investigation of the "Marikana massacre," wherepolice near Lonmin Plc's mine shot dead 34workers on Aug.16, the most violent police action in SouthAfrica's post-apartheid history.

Several relatives of the slain miners broke down in tears ata commission hearing on Tuesday when a Reuters video of theshooting was played.

Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world'slargest platinum producer, was the first to take a tough standagainst wildcat strikes, sacking 12,000 workers at itsRustenburg operations earlier this month.

Amplats' Rustenburg mines have been shut since Sept 12. Lastweek it said it would delay the dismissal process at its Unionand Amandelbult operations, where it employs 20,500 people. Italso said it was open to discussing the reinstatement of thesacked workers with unions.

The strikes spread into other mining industries afterstarting in the platinum mines.